"Tajik migrants being 'held as slaves' on remote Russian farm,"

A group of Tajik nationals claim they are being forced to "work as slaves" on a remote cattle farm in Russia's Far Eastern Magadan region for an employer who has taken away their passports to prevent them from leaving.

Two of the migrants who contacted RFE/RL said they don't know the exact name of the location where they work, describing it only as a "farm in a forest, far from the city."

Their situation brings to light the wider vulnerabilities of Central Asian migrants in Russia, many of whom rely on unofficial agreements and are exploited and abused.

"We are forced to work here during the nights. We come to the farm at 7 p.m., when darkness falls, and [then] work here until the morning," said one of the men, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. "We have been working here for three months but we don't get paid, and when we ask for money, the employer scolds us."...

According to the migrants, the owner of the farm took their passports on the day they arrived, saying he would apply for work and residency permits on their behalf. They said he has not returned their documents...

RFE/RL contacted the farm owner, whose name and phone number the migrants provided, for comment but did not receive any response. Authorities in Magadan Province did not answer phone calls from RFE/RL.

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